TAGS: Decorative Cosmetic Perfumes & Fragrances
According to new research by the National Institutes of Health, Pregnant women who were exposed to multiple phthalates during pregnancy had an increased risk of preterm birth.
Phthalates are chemicals used in personal care products, such as cosmetics, as well as in solvents, detergents, and food packaging.
Used in Nail Polish & Other Cosmetics
After analyzing data from more than 6,000 pregnant women in the United States, researchers found that women with higher concentrations of several phthalate metabolites in their urine were more likely to deliver their babies preterm, which is delivering three or more weeks before a mother’s due date.
Higher concentrations of most phthalate metabolites examined were associated with slightly higher odds of preterm birth. Exposure to four of the 11 phthalates found in pregnant women was associated with a 14-16% greater probability of having a preterm birth. The most consistent findings were for exposure to a phthalate that is used commonly in personal care products like nail polish and cosmetics.
“
Having a preterm birth can be dangerous for both baby and mom, so it is important to identify risk factors that could prevent it,” said Kelly Ferguson, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, and the senior author on the study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
Select Fragrance-free Products
Eating fresh, home-cooked food, avoiding processed food that comes in plastic containers or wrapping, and selecting fragrance-free products or those labeled “phthalate-free,” are examples of things people can do that may reduce their exposure. Changes to the amount and types of products that contain phthalates could also reduce exposure.
The researchers also used statistical models to simulate interventions that reduce phthalate exposures. They found that reducing the mixture of phthalate metabolite levels by 50% could prevent preterm births by 12% on average.
Interventions targeting behaviors, such as trying to select phthalate-free personal care products (if listed on the label), voluntary actions from companies to reduce phthalates in their products, or changes in standards and regulations could contribute to exposure reduction and protect pregnancies.
“It is difficult for people to completely eliminate exposure to these chemicals in everyday life, but our results show that even small reductions within a large population could have positive impacts on both mothers and their children,” said Barrett Welch, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at NIEHS and first author on the study.
The researchers are conducting additional studies to better understand the mechanisms by which exposure to phthalates can affect pregnancy and determine if there are effective ways for mothers to reduce their exposures.
Source: National Institutes of Health
